Dizziness

Dizziness during a panic attack is a direct consequence of a shift in blood chemistry and distribution.

Blood alkalinity is maintained by the body within tight tolerances. This acidity/alkalinity balance or pH as it is better known is controlled by complex interactions of the respiratory and urinary systems and stabilised or buffered from minerals stored in the bones.

One of the other panic attack symptoms; hyperventilation, causes carbon dioxide to be rapidly lost from the blood stream through increased respiration. This tipping of the delicate blood pH balance, through the loss of this acidic gas, increases the pH and makes the blood more alkaline. An increase in blood pH can cause lots of symptoms, one of which is dizziness.

Another cause of dizziness as part of your panic attack symptoms is a reduced blood flow to the head as a result of the narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction) resulting from the adrenaline release.

The dizziness part of the panic attack symptoms can be partially offset by employing the techniques described in the control of hyperventilation.